A Matching Set of 1957 Chevy’s

By Bryan Hoke, Jr.

My first car was a black ’57 Chevy four-door hardtop with a 327 and 2-speed Powerglide transmission. My father and I added a continental kit, visor, spinner wheel covers and fender skirts. We went to Carlisle and other flea markets, local shows, and junkyards together. I learned to drive in that ’57 Chevy before I was 16. In the late 1970’s, Pennsylvania had the “blue law,” and all the stores at the mall were closed on Sundays. So my dad would take me to the parking lot at the mall on Sundays to drive around and practice parallel parking.

I drove the four-door hardtop all through high school. It was pretty cool driving around in a ‘57 Chevy at that age. When I went off to college, I bought a 1971 Monte Carlo, and the ‘57 Chevy sat in my parents’ garage. I didn’t think that it would be a good idea to park a ’57 Chevy on a college campus.

During college, I lost interest in the old Chevy. But when I got married in 1987, my wife and I used the ’57 Chevy as the getaway car after the wedding ceremony. The photographer took some great pictures of us with the car. Because we lived in an apartment complex with no good place to park the ’57, it went back to my parents’ garage after the wedding.

When my wife and I had our house built in 1992, my parents decided it was time to reclaim the second bay in their garage, so I took the ’57 Chevy back to my house. There it sat comfortably in the cozy dry garage, while our new cars weathered the elements out in the driveway - just like it should be.

In the late 90’s, I decided to take my four-door hardtop out to local cruises. My girls were about 4 and 6 at the time. During a drive, I asked them to roll down their windows, to which they replied, “Where’s the button?” I had to explain the concept of turning the crank handles.

In 2000, my wife encouraged me to take up a hobby. Although I like my original ’57 Chevy, I always wanted a ‘57 Chevy convertible. We had once rented a Sebring convertible on vacation, and my girls were crazy about it. My one daughter even started collecting her pennies so she could save up for a convertible of her own. I searched the internet looking for a ’57 Chevy convertible to purchase. I rationalized that a convertible would make everyone happy, especially me. I found one in my price range and was fortunate enough to have the seller take my four-door hardtop as a partial trade, although I kept the continental kit for the convertible.

The convertible was an older restomod and had a 1988 tuned port fuel injected Corvette engine with Street & Performance wiring and computer. The color was Firemist Aqua, a Cadillac color from the early 1970’s. It had a 12-bolt rear and 350 transmission. When I brought the convertible home, the girls, who weren’t familiar with 2-door cars, looked at it and said, “Where are the doors for the kids?” They thought that the rear doors on a 4-door or sliding doors on mini-vans were just for the kids to use.

I have a great friend, Art, who helped me work on the convertible, as there were a number of issues with it. We installed all new wiring, new radiator, new top, and new top cylinders. We patched up a few rust spots and repainted it. In the end, it turned out to be more of a refurbishment than a restoration. The intention was to build a nice driver that my family and I can enjoy.

After the convertible was “done” (at least for the time being), I began thinking about starting another project. I always wanted a Nomad, so I put a wanted ad in CCI magazine. I got several calls and made a few visits. One was too good to pass up. I bought the car from Paul, who had three ’57 Chevy’s: a two-door hardtop, a convertible, and a Nomad. Both the convertible and Nomad were in need of restoration, and Paul doubted that he would ever get to the Nomad, so he decided to sell it. The Nomad had sat in Paul’s garage for about 20 years. During the course of the restoration, I sent him pictures of the Nomad, and he would give me advice. Paul and I still keep in touch.

My friend Art offered to help me with a frame-off restoration on the Nomad. I really enjoyed working on the project with him. Working on the Nomad was as much a social occasion as work. Friends don’t come any finer than Art.

I removed all the chrome and stainless, and I stripped the Nomad down to the bare metal. Most of the old lacquer peeled off with a razor scraper. I used a wire wheel as well. Those little metal wires hurt when they get lodged in your skin. The only piece of sheet metal that we needed to replace was the tailpan. The rest of the sheet metal was in great shape. We spent lots of time with the bodywork so that the Nomad wouldn’t be too “friendly” (you know- waving at you). I really liked the color of the convertible, so I decided to paint the Nomad the same color. I thought that it would be cool to have a pair of matching ‘57’s - a convertible and a Nomad. So we painted the Nomad two-tone Firemist Aqua with a white top.

I polished all of the stainless myself and replaced most of the chrome. Art and I put in a GM Performance Ram Jet 350 crate motor. The Nomad has a 700R4 transmission and positraction 3.36 ratio rear. We also modified a new gas tank to include an in-tank fuel pump. My family and I take the convertible and the Nomad to local cruises, ice cream places, and to Becky’s Drive-In movies. I really enjoy creating fond memories with my kids in the ‘57 Chevy’s. And by the way, the girls have already decided which one of the ‘57 Chevy’s they each want to inherit.

For me, there is nothing like driving down the road looking out over the hood of a ‘57 Chevy.

Nomad Specifications:
• Engine: GM Performance Ram Jet 350 engine with 1988 Corvette Front Runner
• Transmission: 700R4
• Rear: Original with 1962 Impala Positraction 3.36 gears with 2” lowering blocks
• Front end: 2” lowering springs
• Brakes: Front disc, rear drum
• Wheels: 15” Cragar S/S
• Paint: DuPont Firemist Aqua Base Clearcoat
• Upholstery: Original seats with turquoise and white vinyl
• Other: Vintage Air A/C, Raingear wipers, one-piece front bumper

Convertible Specifications:
• Engine: 1988 Corvette TPI with Street & Performance Front Runner
• Street & Performance wiring and computer
• Rear: Chevelle 12-bolt
• Brakes: Front disc, rear drum
• Wheels: 14” Cragar S/S
• Paint: DuPont Firemist Aqua Base Clearcoat
• Upholstery: 1956 front seat, original rear seat with turquoise and white vinyl
• Other: Vintage Air A/C, Raingear wipers, one-piece front bumper, rear wagon bumper